Wednesday, November 21, 2007

"RIYADH, Saudi Arabia - The Saudi judiciary on Tuesday defended a court verdict that sentenced a 19-year-old victim of a gang rape to six months in jail and 200 lashes because she was with an unrelated male when they were attacked."And these beasts are our allies!?!?Update: The Saudis are attempting to explain their ruling.

"The government statement said that according to the woman's signed confession, she called a man on her cell phone and "asked to be with him alone, illegally." The two met at a marketplace, then rode in the man's car to "a dark area of the beach, and stayed there for some time," the ministry said. The group of attackers "saw her in a compromising situation, her clothes on the ground," the statement said. "The men at this point assaulted her and the man with her."The woman knew that being alone with a man who wasn't her husband was illegal, "and therefore she violated the covenant of marriage." However, the woman was engaged -- not married -- at the time. After the incident, the woman and the man did not come forward about the assaults or press charges until someone contacted the woman's husband "telling him what happened, and about his wife's affair and adultery," the ministry said. "She then confessed ... the husband therefore came forward to the police and formally complained nearly three months after the incident." The woman and her companion "exposed themselves to this heinous crime, causing the crime to take place because of their violations of the pure Sharia ruling" -- the country's strict Islamic law."

It's still not making any sense at all to me. They have the blame-the-victim routine down pat, don't they? Savages.

But hardly surprising. This is pretty characteristic of their social attitudes and mores toward women, and ours. (Per CNN) White House homeland security adviser Frances Townsend said it was "absolutely reprehensible" but the Saudis deserve credit for their assistance in battling terrorism.